


Torn

by everydaymagic



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Gen, How It Should Have Gone, only warning for swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 04:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18613237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everydaymagic/pseuds/everydaymagic
Summary: How Wyatt should have reacted when he brought Jess back to the bunker in Season 2, episode 3 and found that the team and lifeboat had gone.





	Torn

When she had told him that there was nothing wrong, and no new mission, Wyatt should have known better than to believe her. Sure, Lucy would call to check up on him, but that many times? (Well, okay, yes, but no, not in this case.) He should have known right away but had explained her quick denial that nothing was wrong as her trying to hide her own feelings. And Wyatt clearly wasn’t firing on all cylinders. Not that anyone could blame him considering he had just found out his dead wife was alive and had never in fact been dead…not in this timeline. 

 

Bringing Jessica back to the bunker had seemed like the only thing he could do to get her to believe him. It was perhaps not one of his smarter moves, but then, he was known as the team’s hot head for a reason. He had just been so desperate not to lose her again, not when she was mad at him for being someone he had never been. He had to prove to her that he was different, that he was literally not the same person she had known. (He never stopped to consider that the same might also be true for her.) 

 

But when Wyatt had walked in and seen the Lifeboat gone, his stomach had dropped. They had gone without him. It wasn’t a feeling of being left out, but of utter dread. He knew without a doubt that it had been Lucy’s decision. She hadn’t been able to get off the phone fast enough once she heard the news about Jessica, even though she had been truly fucking brilliant about it. Wyatt had known deep down how upset she would be, but he had known that he had to be honest. Even if it hurt them both. And she had taken it that step further—her support. She had left him his time with Jessica and gone off with Rufus in the Lifeboat to protect him. When he was supposed to be the one protecting her—them! No matter where she and Rufus had gone, he doubted they were well equipped to deal with the dangers both the past and Rittenhouse presented. 

 

 

 

Dropping Jessica’s hand, Wyatt strode forward. Agent Christopher and Jiya came around the corner just then. They had just mentioned Flynn when they spotted Wyatt…and his wife.

 

Agent Christopher’s face contorted into several different expressions—shock, pity, sympathy, disappointment—before settling on annoyance. “You have got to be kidding me,” she said, quickening her pace as she moved to meet Wyatt head on. 

 

Jiya, genius that she was, took in the situation quickly. “Hi, you must be Jessica!” she exclaimed, darting around Agent Christopher to get to them first. She held out her hand. 

 

Jessica shook it, smiling at the younger woman, but also looking confusedly between Wyatt and Agent Christopher. 

 

“I was going to say the same to you,” Wyatt bit out, clearly not intimidated by the expression on Agent Christopher’s face. “Where are they?” 

 

“On a mission,” she replied, her tone clipped. She folded her arms over her chest. “And since you were unavailable….” 

 

“I wasn’t—” Wyatt raked a hand through his hair. He had been pretty unavailable, not answering any of their calls, only picking up when Lucy called again for the umpteenth time because he knew she would be worried. “I would have come back.” 

 

Agent Christopher’s face softened. “I know you would have. But Lucy told us your news. And obviously that sort of thing takes some time to adjust to.” She nodded over his shoulder to Jessica. “Hello, Jessica.” 

  
“Uh, hi,” Jessica replied, giving an awkward little wave, her expression clearly indicating that she had no idea what the fuck was going on, and Wyatt would be hearing about it later. 

 

Wyatt followed her gaze and tried not to groan. This was so not what he needed right now. How could he properly convince Jess that he was a changed man with her as his priority when his focus was split? Jessica was here, alive and safe, but Rufus and Lucy were who knew where—who knew when—and they needed him. More than Jessica did if he was being honest, especially since she had made it pretty clear that in this timeline she was more than ready to be shot of him for good. 

 

“We’ll be right back, Jess, just…just stay there. Please,” Wyatt said, a hint of begging in his voice. He made eye contact with Jiya who again took control of the situation. 

 

“You look like you could use a drink,” she said. “They’re just talking about work stuff, so how about I show you the kitchen?” 

 

 

 

Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief as Jessica allowed herself to be dragged off. This was so not good. Barely back in her life and he was already disappointing her. He had brought her here to convince her that he was a changed man, and show her the proof, but was being sidetracked by work. Again. He knew he would be hearing about this later, even if she was as used to being a soldier’s wife as she said. Still, that was a future Wyatt problem. Not what he needed to be worrying about right now.

 

“So, you knew I would have come back, but instead you let them just go by themselves? Unprotected?? With everything that has been going on with Rittenhouse and with their fixation on Lucy, what were you—why are you shaking your head at me?” he asked. He could tell from her facial expression that he was not going to like what Agent Christopher had to say next. It made his stomach clench further, considering she knew he already wasn’t crazy about this. 

 

“I didn’t let them go unprotected,” she said slowly, though the look she gave him clearly asked if he thought she was that much of an idiot. 

 

Wyatt huffed in frustration. “Well then what? Gave them a few guns and said good luck? I mean at least they don’t have to worry about Flynn hunting them down anymore, and-- fucking hell, you didn’t.” Because it had finally clicked. It really should have when the topic of discussion didn’t make himself known immediately to try to charm Jessica and mock Wyatt for not being there when the Lifeboat left. 

 

“You didn’t," he said again, eyes wide. He shook his head, not wanting to believe it.

 

“I did.”

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't quite decided if I'm going to continue this or not. At the most it'll be one more chapter about this episode/issue. I just really wanted to write an alternative for how this whole bit could have been handled and how I thought Wyatt would have felt. Any critiques, comments, or edits are welcome! :D


End file.
